Energy Medicine M
a g a z i n e
Winter 2011 Issue
NEWS IN BRIEF Workshops in The Netherlands
Once again AcuEnergetics® is thrilled to announce it will be returning to Europe to run more training and workshops at the Humaniversity, Holland. Following on from the great response at last years training, AcuEnergetics® will offer its Level 1 ‘Skills for Living’ and the Level 2 ‘Inner Alchemy’ training. Additionally, and for the first time in Europe, the first part of Level 3 ‘The Art and Science of Energy Healing’ will also be taught at the Humaniversity. These courses will all be taught by AcuEnergetics® Founder and Master Practitioner Kevin Farrow and AcuEnergetics® Teacher and Senior Practitioner Rochelle Taylor. Dates in Holland: Level 1 Skills for Living workshop: 15-17 June, 2011 Level 2 Inner Alchemy workshop: 18-22 June, 2011 Level 3 The Art & Science of Energy Healing (Part 1): 2528 June & 1-4 July, 2011 For bookings Contact info@humaniversity.nl
Level 1 in Romania and Italy
The AcuEnergetics® Level 1 ‘Skills for Living’ course will be taught this year for the first time in Romania and Italy. The courses will be run in July. More information can be found online or by contacting the shop on 02 9818 1522.
AcuEnergetics® in Turkey
AcuEnergetics® is happy to announce AcuEnergetics® Teacher and Senior Practitioner Rupa Selecki is heading to Turkey to teach a Level 1 Skills for Living workshop this June. The workshop will be held at Aletya Meditation and Healing Centre, which is a beautiful space in the north of Istanbul. Individual AcuEnergetics® sessions with Rupa will also be available in Istanbul from May 24th, 2011. Dates in Turkey: Level 1 Skills for Living workshop: 4-5 June, 2011. Accommodation packages are also available at Aletya. For more information, prices and bookings contact Aletya directly on info@aletya.com
TREATMENTS AcuEnergetics® is fast and accurate and can be used to treat a wide range of physical, mental and emotional conditions. Many people come for specific treatment of an injury, chronic health problems or work/family related stress. Some clients attend sessions to work through issues that arise frequently in their lives, such as anger, fear guilt, insomnia, relationship breakups and panic attacks. Others come because they find that energy balancing helps relax them and keep them at optimum health.
AcuEnergetics® is a modern energy healing modality, based on a detailed understanding of the energetic physiology & anatomy of the body. It combines the latest discoveries in energy work with traditional knowledge from ancient texts by Chinese,Judaic, Middle Eastern, Indian & Western Physicians. AcuEnergetics® understands the whole energy body and its connection to the mind, which is vital for the effective treatment of any symptom in the body.
Common conditions treated include: • Chronic back & neck pain • Depression and anxiety • Menstrual & fertility problems • Chronic fatigue • Chronic stress & panic attacks • Headaches • Trauma & grief • Abdominal pain & constipation • Low energy • Breathing problems • Sore knees, shoulders & joints • Speed up healing after surgery • Sports injuries How does it work? In short, AcuEnergetics® practitioners understand how energetic channels and centre’s work in the body. When these channels are blocked, specific illness, pain or symptoms can appear. AcuEnergetics® practitioners work with energy centres, pranic fields, meridians and other energetic channels. Using their hands they feel blockages and imbalances in the energetic system and can clear them using various energetic techniques. “If you wish to see why the body is the way it is, look at how you’ve been thinking for the past ten years. If you wish to see how your body will be in ten years time, look at how you’re thinking now.” Buddha 550bc
AcuEnergetics® & Energy Medicine Magazine This magazine is owned and produced by AcuEnergetics® and all content is copyright AcuEnergetics®. AcuEnergetics is located at 372 Darling Street, Balmain, NSW, Australia 2041. Ph: 02 9818 1522. Email info@acuenergetics.com
inspirational wisdom
The beautiful and wise words below are taken f r o m t h e m a s t e r S u f i p o e t a n d t e a c h e r, H a k i m S a n a i , i n T h e Wa l l e d G a r d e n o f Tr u t h . Tr a n s l a t e d b y D . L . P e n d l e b u r y. “Belief and unbelief both have their origin i n y o u r h y p o c r i t e ’s h e a r t ; the way is only long because you delay to start on it: one single step would bring you to him: become a slave, and you will be a king. The dumb find tongues, when the scent of life reaches them from his soul. Listen truly - and don’t be fooled - this is not for fools:all these different shades become one colour in the jar or unity; the rope becomes slender when reduced to a single strand. Yo u r i n t e l l e c t i s j u s t a hotch-potch of guesswork and thought, limping over the face of the earth; wherever they are, he is not; they are contained within his creation. Man and his reason are just the latest ripening plants in his garden. Whatever you assert about his nature, you are bound to be out of your depth,
like a blind man trying to describe the appearance of h i s o w n m o t h e r. While reason is still tracking down the secret, you end your quest on the open field of love. The path consists in neither words nor deeds: only desolation can come from these, and never any lasting ediface. Sweetness and life are the words of the man who treads this road in silence; when he speaks it is not from ignorance, and when he is silent it is not from sloth. These learned fools, these thieves and pickpockets: they use what they have lear nt for highway robbery! Listen to me, you lord of language: better fill your heart with light, than with a hundred thousand words; when silent you are eloquence itself: open your mouth, and you’re a r a b b l e - r o u s e r. ”
AcuEnergetics® Open Meditation Nights Open Meditation nights are for anyone interested in learning meditation, particularly opening the light body using unique AcuEnergetics® techniques. The next Open Meditation Nights are: Thursday 2 June, Thursday 9 June, Thursday 16 June, Thursday 23 June, Thursday 11 August, Thursday 8 Sept and Thursday 1 December. Plus there is also an open meditation course in September and October. In September a six week meditation course will commence and this is open to all members of the public. You are welcome to come to some or all of the classes. The dates are below: Thursday 22 September, Thursday 29 September, Thursday 6 October, Thursday 13 October, Thursday 20 October and Thursday 27 October. Where: The AcuEnergetics® School, 1/372 Darling Street Balmain. Ph: 9818 1522. Time: 7.15pm (classes run for approx. 90 mins) Cost: $10. www.acuenergetics.com If you are interested in coming to an AcuEnergetics® FREE GUEST NIGHT, to find out more about the modality, then call us to book on 02 9818 1522. The next free guest nights are on Thursday 26 May, Thursday 30 June and Thursday 21 July, 2011.
welcome
to the school of life By Kevin Farrow
“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a physical experience.” Teillhard de Chardin The first thing to understand about being here on planet Earth is that we are in school. Life, the universe and everything is our teacher and in this particular stage of evolution, this body is our classroom. All the lessons that we have come here to learn, and our karmic attachments, are contained in our energy system and in our life. There was only one reason that we came here - to grow up. Individual perceptions to the contrary, this is not incompatible with enjoying yourself. When
you realise this, the classroom can become the playground, and the classroom and playground is much more fun. There are a couple of other things you should remember if you want to make the most of this journey of self discovery. Your life is all about you, no-one else. It’s not someone else’s fault that this happens or that happens. We attract situations according to the lessons we have to learn, or to put it bluntly, the prejudices we refuse to let go. If we have an emotional button - someone whose job it is to push it will appear. You can’t blame them. You attracted them through the law of like attracts like. Learn from them by living in the present moment and taking an interest in how you feel in different situations. As the Tibetans say, ‘Suffering is a
Guru.’ Don’t make your life about others - you will learn nothing and won’t evolve into a real human being. Make your life about you or as Socrates said, ‘Know thyself’. The way to do this is to become sensitive to your life rather than living in the head. Feel your life – don’t think about it. Let your consciousness develop from your awareness. When you do this, your heart will open, compassion will flow and you will help others by being who you are. The only thing that matters is not what we do - but how we do it. Don’t look at the outside fripperies. Who cares if we ride a bicycle to promote world peace, if our anger at the stupidity of the world is knawing away at our liver and spleen. Who cares if we’re a healer or a lawyer? Healers who prides themselves on being
“We are not physical beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a physical experience.” Teillhard de Chardin spiritual and ahead of the pack are no different from lawyers or stockbrokers who consider themselves special, although usually with considerably less income.
“Who cares if we ride a bicycle to promote world peace, if our anger at the stupidity of the world is knawing away at our liver and spleen.”
Be aware of vanity. Gurdjieff taught that ‘the happiness and self-consciousness, which should be in a real man, as well as in a peaceful communal existence between people, depend(s) in most cases exclusively on the absence in us of the feeling of ‘vanity’.
that we can decide which are the real spiritual lessons?
‘Meditating with attitude (vanity) is not meditating. We need to look inside at how we do things, whatever they are. How we are with people, whoever they are.
This is an excerpt from Kevin Farrow’s book titled The Psychology of the Body: The First Accurate Mapping of the Energy Body (RRP $130). It is available online at www.acuenergetics.com or call 02 9818 1522 to place your order.
Does the checkout girl get less of us than the Spiritual Master? Why? What makes us so special
Be aware of how you are in the world all the time. This is our classroom. The only thing that matters is not what we do - but how we do it.
practices for the modern mystic Below is an except from Kevin Farrow’s new book titled enlighten, practices for the modern mystic. The book is due to be released in Spring of 2011.
The search for meaning has engaged us since the earliest times. The bulk of our ancient written literature and oral history, is not about accounting or historical records. It is about the search of every man for the pathway to understanding, to the divine in us all. The path back to oneness. In our essence, we are all one complete awareness. We’ve described this awareness as God, Buddha nature, the large mind and a host of other names over many years. People, dogs, cats and trees, we are all part of this same pure complete consciousness. However, although the awareness is universal, when it is veiled and focused into an ego or I sense, we become separate. The path back to oneness or pure awareness, is the dissolving of the I sense through the heart. In the mystic schools of Kabbalah, Mystic Christianity and Sufism, this is sometimes described as the path to union, or being at one with God. Evelyn Underhill, describing Christian mysticism wrote, ‘Mysticism is the art of union with Reality. The mystic is a person who has attained that union in greater or less degree; or who aims at and believes in such attainment.’ Underhill, Evelyn, Practical Mysticism, E.P. Dutton & Company, New York, 1915, page 3
This is a very good description of mysticism in general, as it doesn’t confuse the practice of union with theological beliefs or philosophies, which have no basis in fact. The ancient Jewish practices of Kabbalah, which are the foundation stones of Christian mysticism, were originally based on practical transformations of mind and energy. Practical understanding of mystic practices is also shared by the great religions of Asia, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. As the great Buddhist adept Nagarjuna said, ‘All philosophies are mental fabrications. There has never been a single doctrine by which one could enter the true essence of things.’ One enters the true essence of things through union, and one attains union through personal and practical understanding, not by doctrine. In describing this great union, the Sufi mystic poet Hakim Sanai said, ‘My friend, everything existing exists through him; your own existence is a mere pretense. No more nonsense! Lose yourself, and the hell of your heart becomes a heaven.’ The Hadiqua – The Walled Garden of Truth. Trans David Pendlebury. Octopus Books In Taoism this unity is often termed absorption and in Buddhism, as enlightenment or becoming one with the Buddha Nature. To put this more simply, being at one.
In our modern western society, we have lost any real notion of this path. Most of us believe that oneness is achieved by something, vaguely along the lines of, love is the answer. I heard Stevie Wonder at a concert recently, and as he walked off he said, ‘Love somebody and after you’ve done that, then love everybody’. I love this line, but in reality it is only a superficial one. When love is something that is projected outside of us onto someone else, it is not love in the pure sense. Love isn’t something that we do – to be real, it has to be something that we are. In our school we do an exercise where we project our love onto partners – interestingly they always feel sick and want to get away as fast as possible. However when we sit and just open our hearts within ourselves – they are attracted to us. For this heart opening within to occur, we need to change. Often we see our need to change but our methods to achieve this are poorly understood. We can’t change our problems or the problems of the world by changing things on the outside. It’s by looking at things as outside, that the problems were formed in the first place. The perception that leads to greed, power and manipulation all come from this wrong view. How could we solve this by having the same view? We have to change our basic perception. In fact, change how we see. For this to happen we need to understand that the world as we see it, is all our perception. There is no world apart from how we perceive it.
To perceive the world as it really is, is the practice of oneness, the practice of the mystic. Essentially we have lost the understanding of the truths of the body/mind and become wrapped up in ideologies, which have no relationship to oneness. In addition, the interest in union is confused by mistaken beliefs that this involves some sort of instant enlightenment or a sort of cosmic brain orgasm. This thinking probably arose from confusion about the Indian kundalini practice of having energy shoot up the spine like electricity. In truth, this practice is not necessary, nor anymore enlightening than being electrocuted. At times, it can induce a state of bliss that will last for a period of time, but it is just a state. It is also just as likely to induce psychosis. Neither of these conditions have anything to do with oneness. The Taoist master Lao Tzu noted in the Hua Hu Ching, that enlightenment or absorption, was not a goal, but a path. This path requires ongoing, deep experiential understanding of mind and an innate curiosity that drives commitment to practice. What you believe doesn’t matter – correct practice matters. Practice and you will know. Kevin Farrow is the creator of AcuEnergetics®, as well as an international teacher of meditation and expert in the area of the energetic anatomy of the body and its connection to the mind.
my healing journey By Dr Penelope Jones
In the article below, Dr Penelope Jones explains how her injured knee introduced her to a brand new way of healing and understanding the body. It was October 2008 and I was on holiday in Japan. I had returned there after 35 years, especially to see the swirling waters at Naruto. I was anticipating a great adventure, but little did I know how much of a challenge I would face. On my second day, as I was coming down the steps of an old Japanese country railway station, I lost the grip on my heavy bag and when I jumped down to recover it, I jarred my knee. Afterwards my knee was sore and I found it painful to walk, but I certainly did not expect this little accident to cause a major injury. For the next couple of days I rested it as much as I could, and prepared for my journey to Naruto. When the day came for me to set out, my knee was still tender, but I had waited so long for this day, I wasn’t going to be deterred by a sore knee. After all, at this stage I could still walk and get around easily enough, albeit with some pain. The journey to Naruto was by train, and it was more complicated than I was told. It involved many train changes, walking up and down old Japanese railway steps and far too much walking. It proved more than my sore knee could handle. By the time I got back to my hotel, I was in tears and unable to walk at all. The hotel staff took me up to my room in a wheelchair, where I stayed for three days and did nothing but rest, hope the pain would ease and try to figure out how to get home. My travel insurance company arranged for what seemed like a very good orthopaedic surgeon in Osaka to examine my knee. X-Rays were taken and I was given an impressive and thorough examination. The surgeon said I had torn the medial ligament on my knee and he was not very encouraging about the prognosis. He sent me back to Australia in a wheelchair – an experience that was no fun at all and extremely painful. Back home I exchanged the wheelchair for crutches and made an appointment with my acupuncturist Rupa Selecki, who was also doing AcuEnergetics®. When I saw Rupa, my knee was very swollen and painful. She did some acupuncture and then some AcuEnergetics®. Afterwards the swelling in my knee reduced and I felt there was a lessening of the emotional shock from the
trauma. I also made a couple of appointments with Kevin Farrow, the founder of AcuEnergetics®. When I arrived to see Kevin for the first time, I was still relying on the crutches to help me get around. During the initial consultation of the session, Kevin told me that my liver channel - which runs down the inside of the leg and through my injured knee - was very sluggish and congested. He said that I may not have even torn the ligament, but that the pain I was experiencing was a result of the congested energy in the meridians of my leg. With the unique techniques Kevin has developed in AcuEnergetics®, he cleared the liver channel and got the energy flowing again. After about 55 mins he helped me off the treatment table to see how my knee felt. I must admit, I was a little shy to put my full weight on the leg, but soon enough I was relieved and happy to discover I could easily stand and support my own weight. I walked out of the clinic that day without using my crutches at all! I was amazed and delighted. I have since learnt that emotional distress and trauma can affect the flow of energy in our bodies. When this happens, the energy flowing in parts of our body can become sluggish like glue. This is what had happened to me over the previous years. I also now understand that the liver and gall bladder systems distribute a special Qi (energy) to the muscles and ligaments to keep them soft and elastic. When the liver and gall bladder channels are congested, this Qi cannot flow well and muscles and ligaments become stiff. This made sense when I recalled jarring my knee on the step in Japan. It only felt like a small accident, however the damage occurred because the ligaments did not have enough elasticity to absorb the blow. If the Qi had been flowing freely, then I possibly would not have had any injury at all. Needless to say I was very happy with the result and my knee is completely healed. This healing experience has taken me even deeper into understanding how mind, energy and body are all part of an integrated system, and as a result I am now an enthusiastic student of AcuEnergetics®, despite being accredited in three other healing modalities. Dr Penelope Amita Jones practiced as an Endodontic Specialist in Sydney for 25 years. She has also tutored in the medical and dental faculties of Sydney University.
Bali Meditation Retreat, a great success
In January this year AcuEnergetics® travelled to beautiful Bali and ran its first ever Neshamah Enlightenment Retreat in the quiet fishing village of Canggu. The response to this first meditation retreat was wonderful, with friends of AcuEnergetics coming from around the world to take part in this week long meditation intensive. Neshamah literally means the breath of God - the true higher consciousness. Throughout the retreat, we progressed from meditations of stillness and happiness through to ancient practices in opening the light body. Although meditation is not uncommon, these unique and very tangible light body meditations are the only ones of their kind currently being taught anywhere in the world. This lucky group was able to experience a week filled with these blissful meditations, openng their hearts and energy and feeling more ‘at one’ with everything. AcuEnergetics® will run more of these retreats in the future. The next Neshamah Enligtenment Holiday is a special one day experience that will be held on Sunday 11 September, 2011. You can find out more about courses and AcuEnergetics® by logging on to acuenergetics.com
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Books & Music for your Meditation as Medicine
spirit
Kevin Farrow
For many thousands of years, people in cultures far and wide have understood the beauty and importance of meditation in one’s daily life. Meditation helps to still the mind and creates a feeling of peace and happiness. It is also a brilliant way – when done correctly - to promote healing and vitality in the body. To master the art of a pure no-mind space - even for a few moments - is something that is possible for all of us. With practice we can experience this stillness for longer periods of time, enabling us to go beyond the mind and feel truly awakened. This book provides practical, easy to learn meditation techniques for you to begin to free your mind and heal your body. RRP $9.95 Meditation as Medicine
enlighten volume one
AcuEnergetics® Meditations, volume one This is the first volume of the enlighten series of meditations. The aim of this series is to introduce you to the basics of meditation practice and then to gradually guide you through some of the more advanced tantric practices. With the exception of the meditations covered in volume one - which focus on stilling the mind and opening the heart - the enlighten series covers ancient practices in opening the light body, which were practiced thousands of years ago but have long since disappeared. Some of these practices are Judaic in origin and some are originally Taoist. Volume one guides you through the Inner Smile and Inner Breath meditations, which are both Taoist.
enlighten volume two
AcuEnergetics® Meditations, volume two This is the second volume of the enlighten series of meditations. Volume two guides you through the Two Trees meditations, which are ancient Judaic practices in opening the light body. To understand and practice these meditations, it’s necessary to develop an experiential knowledge of the pattern of energy centres in the body. This is gained through learning to use your attention. The booklet inside has detailed instructions for development of the attention and the practice of the meditations on the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
enlighten volume three
AcuEnergetics® Meditations, volume three This is the third volume of the enlighten series of meditations. Volume three guides you through the Lightning Flash meditation, which is an ancient Judaic practice in opening the light body. This meditation is a natural evolution from the Two Trees meditations of volume two. As with those practices, to understand and practice this meditation, it’s necessary to develop an experiential knowledge of the pattern of energy centres in the body. The booklet from volume two will help with this. The booklet included with this volume explains the Lightning Flash and its practice. All books are available at the AcuEnergetics® bookshop, 372 Darling Street, Balmain.
by Kevin Farrow
Looking for a new career in healing? Study a fast growing modality that really works Whether you are looking for a brand new career choice, or a modality to complement your current skillset, AcuEnergetics® could be just what you’re looking for. It’s a career choice that is extremely fascinating, deeply fullfilling and one which produces consistently positive results. AcuEnergetics® has attracted many practitioners in other fields due to it’s unique, effective and truly wholistic approach to treating illness in the body. It is a modern energy healing modality based on a detailed understanding of the energetic anatomy and physiology of the human body. It combines Chinese, Middle Eastern, Judaic, Indian and Western medicine together with founder Kevin Farrow’s 35 years of research and clinical studies to create an accurate energy medicine. Practitioners trained in other modalities such as acupuncture, physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic and psychology often discover that the AcuEnergetics® approach is exactly what they need to complete their understanding of the human body and fill in the missing link that is the energetic system . Training to become an AcuEnergetics® practitioner starts with Level 1 ‘Skills for Living’ and Level 2 ‘Inner Alchemy’, followed by Level 3 ‘The Art & Science of Energy Healing’ and then the AcuEnergetics® ‘Practitioner Training’. Course dates are available on the AcuEnergetics® website. The School is located at 372 Darling Street, Balmain.
Course Dates Level 1 DATES: May 28-29, July 9-10, August 6-7 or November 26-27 (1 weekend) Level 2 DATES: August 20-21 and August 27-28 (2 weekends) Level 3 DATES: Course starts May 10 (21 Tuesdays) or 17-18 September (8 weekends)- see online calendar for all dates) CONTACT: Call 9818 1522 or email info@acuenergetics.com
the spinal meridian system By Kevin Farrow
The body has a life-force that is separate from the chemistry of hormones, blood and tissues, that is sometimes explained as life in western anatomy. When this life-force is gone, the body is dead. While the body is alive, this lifeforce is moving, channelled through all the body organs and tissues. Part of this life-force is general, being present in every cell of the body, and part is directed as energy for particular energy body processes through a variety of energetic systems. The most well known of these, is the system of channels that are termed in Chinese medicine, as the meridian system. The particular energy in the meridians is termed qi (chi). While it is usually just considered as pure energy of differing frequencies, the meridian qi is actually the part of the life-force energy that is emotional. In a very real sense, the qi is the pure energy of emotion. The reason that we feel emotions in the body, is because the qi flows everywhere in the body through the meridian system. This is not to say that the qi is not energy that drives organic processes, but rather that all this energy also has an attribute of emotion.
When we are emotionally open, the qi flows and when we close down, it contracts. The Chinese termed this, the difference between the virtues (open) and emotions (closed). Each organ in the body has an integrated meridian system and each of these organ/meridian systems responds to different virtues and emotions. In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) this is usually expressed to simply reflect a particular organ’s virtues and emotions. The liver’s virtue is seen as kindness and compassion and its emotion is anger. The kidney’s virtue is wisdom and its emotion is fear. The virtue of the lungs is integrity and its emotion is sadness. The virtue of the spleen is trust and its emotion is over-thinking and worry. The heart’s virtue is order and its emotion is joy, as in over-excitement. The virtues of the body keep us strong and healthy in body, mind and spirit. The emotions cause problems. In TCM, emotions are often referred to as the five thieves, as they steal our life-force. The qi flows through each of the organ/meridian systems in turn, like a river that meanders through various parts of the countryside. Every time we have an opinion that turns into an emotion, we in effect, pollute part of the river and cause problems that go upstream and downstream. As the meridians also affect muscle systems, sinews and bones, the blocking of energy through emotions in the channels has a widespread effect. The meridian system that channels this qi, is generally regarded as the vertical meridian system that is the basis of all TCM acupuncture charts. There is however, also a horizontal system of meridians that emanates from the spine.
Please note that the concept of organs in TCM is much wider than our western concept. It is more akin to the system view in anatomy where we look at the digestive system rather than the stomach. The liver includes its effects on blood and sinews. The kidneys includes the ovaries or testes and the adrenals and endocrine system. The lungs also include the skin. The spleen includes the lymphatic system and various other functions. The heart includes energy flow as well as blood flow. The spinal meridian system could be considered as the core of the meridian energy system of the body, just as the nervous system of the spine is considered as the core of the communication system, between the brain and the body. In a similar fashion to the system of spinal nerves that exit between individual spinal vertebrae, there is a system of spinal meridians that emanate from the individual vertebrae. These meridians, which supply energy for all organ and tissue processes, emanate from the energy highways of the yang governing vessel that runs along the spine, and the yin conception vessel that runs up the front of the body. The lines of these spinal meridians connect similar functional points from the governing vessel (GV), outwards to the bladder channels and around the body to meet with the appropriate alarm points on the conception vessel (CV) situated on the front of the body. We can see the circular reach of the spinal meridians in the dermatome patterns of western anatomy. These areas are seen as areas of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve. In western medicine, this understanding is used to assist in locating nerve damage. These
peripheral dermatome patterns and their response actions, clearly show the layout of the periphery of the horizontal spinal meridian system. Looking at the correspondences between the dermatomes, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and the TCM meridian model, it becomes apparent that we are not describing three systems here, but one system from different perspectives. The nervous system is the communication plexus of the body and the meridian system is the energy distribution plexus. These two systems are always together. There is no energy for the communication system, or any other physical system of the body, without the meridians and there is no communication without the nervous system. Pain in the body is directly due to blocks in the energy system and this is communicated to the brain via the nervous system. All pain in the body is a direct result of contractions in the energy meridian system, which is why it can be cleared energetically. When it can be cleared, there is no pain signal for the nerves to transmit. The dermatomes just show the area of the body that transcribes the circle of the spinal meridians and their accompanying nerves. What we don’t see in these peripheral dermatomes, are the deeper, direct meridian links to the organ systems of the body. At every level of the spine, if we were able to slice through the body and see the meridians as a circle around the body, emanating from the spine and the anterior (front) of the body, we would also see lines from the spinal meridians directly entering their related organs. For instance, at T5 vertebrae, we would see the exit of the sympathetic nerve for the heart, and also the
exit of the meridian for the external areas of the heart (pericardium meridian). While both part of the nerve and the meridian go directly into the heart from the spine, the meridian system also enters the heart from the conception vessel at the front. This same pattern of related nerves and meridians is seen all along the spine. The accompanying map shows clearly, the close relationship of particular sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves and the meridian alarm point system of the body. In traditional acupuncture, the alarm points on the bladder channel at the back (shu) and front (mu) are regularly used either for diagnosis or for treating organ conditions. Generally, the yin organs are treated with the mu points and yang organs with shu points, although it is not uncommon for acupuncturists to treat yin with yang points and vice versa. This is traditionally known as expelling yin disorders from yang meridians, and expelling yang disorders from yin meridians. While there is a knowledge of the geography of alarm points in relation to organ proximity and nerve proximity, there is no real understanding of the why of their physical geography, which is what provides the real explanation for their effects. They are used as empirical points - points whose efficacy is not understood, but ones that provide particular benefits for particular conditions. When we start to understand the structure of the circle of dermatomes, as the peripheral part of the spinal meridian system, then we can see that any skin irritation, soreness or pain with palpation on the entire circle from spine to the front of the body, may be indicative of problems with the particular channel at that level. This understanding also provides us with a basis for both diagnosis and treatment of yin and yang disturbances in the particular meridian systems. This can be accomplished through feeling which of the yin or yang alarm points are unbalanced and opening the channels from these accordingly.
The diagram above shows a horizontal cross section from the acupuncture point GV8 (thoracic vertabra 9) following the dermatome pattern around the body to meet at the acupuncture point CV11. The meridian lines through the body penetrate the liver and are the core of the liver meridian system.
Front Mu Points Organ Lungs Pericardium Heart. Liver. Gallbladder Spleen Stomach Triple Warmer Kidneys Large Intestine Small Intestine Bladder
Point LU 1 CV 17 CV 14 LV 14 GB 24 LV 13 CV 12 CV 5 GB 25 ST 25 CV 4 CV 3
Back Shu Points Organ Lungs. Pericardium Heart Liver Gallbladder Spleen Stomach Triple Warmer Kidneys Large Intestine Small Intestine Bladder
Point BL 13 BL 14 BL 15 BL 18 BL 19 BL 20 BL 21 BL 22 BL 23 BL 25 BL 27 BL 28
The diagram of the Horizonal Spinal Meridian System on the opposite page is also available for purchase as an A2 poster. Contact the shop to buy one. RRP: $19.95.
Horizontal
Spinal Meridians
Sympathetic Nerves Stress response
Vertebrae
Back Shu Points
T1 T2 T3 T4
GV 13 - Taodao ~ unhappiness, fevers, spinal stiffness Meets CV21 GV 12 - Shen Tzu ~ clears lung heat ~ frees the chest, descends liver qi
Bl 13 Lung Meets CV19 Bl 14 Pericardium
T5
GV 11 - Shen Tao ~ anxiety, sadness
Bl 15 Heart Meets CV14
T6
GV 10 - Ling tai ~ cough, lymphangitis Bl 16 Du mai Meets CV13
Stomach
T7
GV 9 - Zhi yang ~ top + mid Jiao meet Bl 17 Diaphram Meets CV12
Liver
T8
Lungs T1 - T5 Heart Adrenals Lg Intestine
Governing Vessel Points
Occ. Protuberance GV 16 - Feng Fu ~ headache, anxiety, high BP, mania GV 15 - Yamen ~ tongue and speech problems, neck. Meets CV23 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 GV 14 - Daz Hui ~ chills, breathing problems, malaria Meets CV22
Pancreas
T6 - T12
Sm Intestine
Bladder
L1 - L3
Sex
Bl 15 Bl 16 Bl 17
T9
GV 8 - Jin suo ~ clears liver heat
Bl 18 Liver Meets CV11
T10
GV 7 - Zhong shu ~ jaundice
Bl 19 Gall bladder
T11
GV 6 - Jizhong ~ fortifies spleen
Bl 20 Spleen Meets CV10
T12 Lg Intestine
Bl 13 Bl 14
Bl 18 Bl 19 Bl 20
Bl 21 Stomach
Bl 21
Bl 22 San jiao Meets CV8
Bl 22
L1
GV 5 - Xuan shu ~ benefits lower jiao
L2
GV 4 - Ming men ~ energy, impotence Bl 23 Kidney Meets CV6
Bl 23
GV 3 - Yao yang guan ~ knees, lumber Bl 25 Large intestine Meets CV3
Bl 25
L3
Parasympathetic Nerves Promote homeostasis
L4 L5
Bl 27
Lg Intestine Bladder
S2 - S4
Sex
Sacral 1 ~ diarrhoea, lower abdominal pain
Bl 27 Small intestine
Sacral 2 ~ vaginal pain, bladder problems
Bl 28 Bladder
Sacral-coccygeal Hiatus GV 2 - Yao shu ~ lumber and hip pain, irregular menses, Meets CV2 Termination of Coccyx Post Coccyx
- vulvadinia, erectile problems GV 1 - Chang chiang ~ erectile problems, bladder, blood in stools, vulvadinia
Additional symptoms associated with spinal nerves C1 - GB headache, high BP, insomnia, memory, anxiety C2 - Vision problems, earache C3 - Trigeminal nerve neuralgia, teeth, facial bones C4 - Breathing, kidney meridian C5 - Speech, neck, upper back C6 - Shoulders, neck, throat C7 - Thyroid, arm to elbow, colds T1 - Forearms, fingers, asthma, breathing problems T2 - Heart problems, arteries T3 - Lung problems T4 - Gall bladder problems T5 - Liver problems, circulation, blood pressure, arthritis, sadness T6 - Stomach problems, spleen heat T7 - Ulcers, pancreatic problems, small intestine T8 - Spleen problems, weak immune system T9 - Adrenals T10 - Kidneys, exhaustion, atherosclerosis T11 - Kidneys, skin problems T12 - Sm intestinal problems, lymph, rheumatism L1 - Lg intestine pain, bowel symptoms, inguinal hernias L2 - Appendix pain, abdominal pain L3 - Sex problems, bladder, knees L4 - Prostate problems, bladder, sciatica, menstrual pain L5 - Poor circulation in legs, leg weakness, cramps Sacrum - Pain in sacroiliac pain, hip joint, ischial tuberosity
Horizontal Spinal Meridians The dermatome patterns of western anatomy (shown as striped patterns), are seen as areas of skin supplied by a single spinal nerve. They are used to assist in locating nerve damage. These peripheral patterns and their response actions, clearly show the layout of a horizontal spinal meridian system. The lines of these spinal meridians, connect similar functional points from the governing vessel (GV), outwards to the bladder channels and around the body to the appropriate front alarm points on the conception vessel (CV). Looking at the correspondences between the dermatomes, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and the meridian model, it becomes apparent that we are not describing three systems here, but one system from different perspectives.
Text and illustration, Copyright AcuEnergetics速 2010 For more information please visit acuenergetics.com
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